Boy on the Run
by Ninjasaurus
Summary: "Have you ever been in love, Sasuke?" she snapped, glaring daggers at the boy, tears blurring her vision. He was silent, gazing at her with his mouth set into a thin line. When he didn't answer her, she looked away. "That's what I thought," she said softly, a tear sliding down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and returned her icy gaze onto him. "Get out of here, Sasuke."


**Okay, so I'm not a Naruto fan, and have only watched a couple episodes, so if the small amount of info is wrong, please don't harrass me for it. Besides, the majority of this story isn't really revolved around the characters/storyline, so yeah. I actually had a dream very similar to this, and figured I might as well write it down. And this is what came out. I hope you enjoy, and if not, sorry, but like I said before, I'm not a Naruto fan, which only explains why this fic wouldn't be any good.**

* * *

"Hey."

The raven haired boy turned around at the voice. His midnight blue eyes landed on the girl striding towards him, her hands tucked away deep inside her jacket's pockets. He recognized her auburn hair and honey brown eyes, and he fully turned towards her, walking forward to meet her halfway. They both stopped once they stood about a foot apart, staring at each other in silence. The look in the girl's eyes told that she was in no mood for jokes or lighthearted conversation; she was downright serious.

"What are you doing here?" the boy asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, adjusting the backpack on his shoulders.

She shrugged and inclined her head toward the bag he carried. "You leavin'?"

He was silent for a moment, realizing what this was about. "Yeah," he replied after a pause.

A frown tugged at the girl's lips and she narrowed her eyes. "So you're going to him," she said, a disapproving tone entangling itself in her words. He nodded once and she let out an aggravated sigh. "Sasuke, stay, alright? I know why you're leaving, and honestly I think it's a bunch of bullshit," she said, glaring at him. Her expression softened, and she spoke in a soft voice, "It's not a good idea. He just wants your body for power, and if you're not careful he'll have it in a split second."

Sasuke frowned as well and shook his head. "You don't understand, Hannah. If I go, I'll become stronger, and then I can finally avenge my family," he explained.

"You'll be killed, Sasuke."

He glared at her. "No I won't, my brother will die by my hands."

A heavy silence fell over them. Hannah's face was void of any emotion when she finally spoke again. "I saw what you did to Sakura."

That caught him a little off guard and he blinked at her. "Yeah. Yeah, I didn't want her to follow me," he answered slowly.

"She's gonna miss you. They're all gonna miss you."

"Are you going to miss me?"

She didn't reply, looking away from his face.

"Come with me, Hannah."

She looked at him then, and his face was filled with a hopeful begging. It stabbed her heart, and after a moment she shook her head. His face hardened and he demanded to know why. She shook her head again, hot tears filling her eyes. She bit her lip, then answered, "I can't."

Sasuke's hands clenched into fists and he asked, "Why not?"

Hannah's eyes flickered downward and stared at the dirt floor. "I have to stay, for Ry – " she realized her mistake and shut her eyes. "For Tess," she corrected, but it was already too late.

A scoff came from the young boy and she glanced up at him. "Are you serious? _Ryder?_ You guys aren't even together anymore!"

Hannah's eyes closed again. "You're just a kid, you wouldn't understand," she whispered.

"I'm not a kid, Hannah. Don't fucking call me a kid. Why would you have to stay for him? You aren't dating him anymore, so why would you choose him over – "

"Have you ever been in love, Sasuke?" she snapped, glaring daggers at the boy, tears blurring her vision. He was silent, gazing at her with his mouth set into a thin line. When he didn't answer her, she looked away. "That's what I thought," she said softly, a tear sliding down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and returned her icy gaze onto him. "Get out of here, Sasuke."

He stared back at her just as harshly as she, refusing to back down. After several long minutes of heated silence, he replied, "Fine," and turned to walk away. He froze, however, when he felt her hand grip his arm tightly. He turned again and waited for her to say something.

"Just," she started, then fell silent. His dark eyes stared at her impatiently. "Just be safe, okay? Don't make me dress in black."

He nodded once, but something kept him there. He grabbed her arm and pulled her in close, wrapping his arms around her body. When he pulled away, he stared deep into her eyes. "I have been in love before," he said, then turned and walked through the gates of the village, leaving her alone with nothing but her tears.

* * *

"He said _what?_"

Hannah frowned. "I don't see why you're freaking out about this. He didn't say anything surprising."

Tess shook her head. "Hannah, he told you he loved you."

"No he didn't, he just said he had been in love before," she corrected her friend, leaning back in her chair.

"Hannah, he was saying that he loved you. How can you not see that?" Tess asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hannah shrugged and glanced out the window. "'Cause that's not what he said," she replied quietly. It was the next day, and the news of Sasuke's disappearance had quickly spread around the village. Hannah sighed and looked up at her closest friend. "Tess, you have to promise me you won't tell Sakura."

Tess's emerald green eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. "Why?"

"Because she loves Sasuke, and this would just break her heart even more than it is now. I don't want to hurt her, you know?"

Tess sighed, but nodded. "Alright, I won't tell." She looked as if she was going to say something else, but she kept her mouth shut, her eyes staring behind Hannah at the doorway. Hannah turned around in her chair and glanced towards the doorway herself. Her heart nearly skipped a beat, however, when her eyes landed on the tall brunette standing just outside the room. Tess cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Um, hey Ryder. I was just um, leaving," she said, and quickly left the room, leaving Hannah gazing helplessly after her.

Ryder didn't watch her go, his icy blue eyes locked on the nervous girl in the chair. Hannah shifted uncomfortably, dropping her gaze. Neither of them said a thing, and Hannah could feel his eyes boring into the side of her head. He didn't move an inch, didn't step further into the room, and she didn't move from her place in the chair. Hannah watched with mild interest as her thumbs danced around the other and toyed with the hem of her shirt. Her heart hammered inside her chest, dully echoing in her ears, and she wondered absentmindedly if the boy just a few feet away from her could hear it as well.

"So Sasuke loves you now?" Ryder asked with a hint of bitterness in his voice, breaking the unbearable silence between the two former lovers.

Hannah scoffed reflexively. "No, he doesn't," she clarified.

"But that's what he said."

"No, he didn't say that. He didn't say anything like that," Hannah snapped, glaring at the taller boy who still stood inside the doorway.

Ryder's ice colored eyes hardened, his irritation rising at her obliviousness. "Jesus, Hannah. The boy fuckin' told you that he had been in love before, which clearly means that he meant with you. You don't listen to people, Hannah. If you took the time to pay attention to his words, you would have been able to tell what he was really saying," the boy spat irritably at the smaller girl.

Hannah's gaze dropped back to her hands. Noticing her retraction from the small form of communication that the two had had in weeks, Ryder's shoulders dropped, and he slowly stepped forward into the room. In just three long strides, Ryder was at the girl's feet, kneeling in front of her. His soft, gray-blue eyes searched desperately for her own gaze, which remained transfixed on her twiddling thumbs. "Hannah." When she didn't respond, Ryder softly reached out and took her small hands in his own. "Hannah," he said in a breathy sigh, as if her name itself was a fragile thing that he was afraid of breaking, "I didn't mean to yell. It's just... He's just some kid, and knowing he said what he said to you, it just makes me..." When this proved to be going nowhere, Ryder took on a new approach. His hands gently squeezed hers and he spoke to her in a low murmur, "Hannah, I haven't seen you in weeks, and it's killing me. Maybe we should talk – "

"There's nothing left to say," Hannah replied curtly, pulling her hands away and pushing past the boy in front of her, her footsteps echoing in the room as she left the room without another word. Ryder watched helplessly as she left, pain vibrating throughout his body as she took yet another piece of his heart with her.

* * *

He was practically a blur of white as he ran through the woods, but she was able to keep her eye on him as she raced through the trees after him, those that accompanied her on this rescue party following close behind. The boy was fast, but she was quickly gaining on him. Although she could quite possibly chase him for a while, she knew that the chase needed to come to an end, and so she was timing when she should pounce. She could sense the impatience radiating off of her teammates behind her, so she decided that now was the best time to make her move. Quickening her pace, she flung herself forward, hurtling herself into the boy's back and causing the both of them to tumble to the ground and roll painfully to a stop. A cloud of dirt launched itself into the air around the two, shielding them from view for a second before slowly dispersing. The rest of the rescue party skidded to a halt upon the collision, watching as the boy and girl wrestled each other for dominance. Winning in the fight, Sasuke rolled them around so that he straddled her stomach. He reeled back his fist, and just as he was about the bring it crashing down into her face, a body slammed into his side, knocking him off of the smaller girl beneath him. He seemed to growl at the other boy who had knocked him away, and once again found himself wrestling on the ground with someone.

Sakura and Tess were at Hannah's side, helping her back up on her feet. Hannah thanked the two girls, and her eyes widened as they landed on the entangled limbs of Sasuke and her former sweetheart a few feet away. Ryder was currently on the bottom, but he wrestled a leg out from underneath Sasuke and kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying back. Ryder quickly stood up and charged at the boy, throwing a fist into his jaw, the sickening, dull sound of flesh colliding with flesh echoing in the small clearing. Sasuke stumbled back, recovered fast, and returned the favor. Ryder growled himself and lunged toward the younger boy again. Sasuke moved quicker, however, and wrapped his hand around Ryder's throat, slamming the brunette into the ground below. He grunted at the sudden pain, and watched with a widened gaze as Sasuke's hand began to spark and glow with the crackling blue energy of chakra, his eyes bright red as the Sharingan was activated inside of them.

Sasuke was roughly knocked off Ryder as Hannah collided into him. He hissed in pain as his body was slammed hard into the dirt floor. Hannah positioned herself on top of the raven haired boy, pinning him to the ground. He writhed underneath her, trying to push her off. In a desperate attempt to get him to calm down, Hannah placed both hands on either side of his face and stared deep into his eyes.

"Sasuke!" she screamed in his face. He still struggled, and her grip tightened. "Sasuke, it's me! It's me!" Hannah's voice was loud and high pitched, as if she was on the verge of hysteria. Her words echoed in Sasuke's ears and he looked up at her as if seeing her for the first time, his eyes returning to their original midnight color. His writhing body grew still beneath Hannah's small form.

"It's me, Sasuke, it's me," Hannah whispered now, tears filling her eyes. Her thumbs softly caressed his temples, trying to calm him and show she meant no harm.

Sasuke shoved the girl off of him and got to his feet. She stood as well and stared up at him cautiously, just as the others around them did. It was silent in the small clearing, a silence that made each of them tense with caution. After a while, Hannah took a step forward, her quiet voice in the middle of forming his name when he moved.

In a flash, Sasuke's hand had enclosed itself around Hannah's throat, not tight enough to choke her, but firm enough to make a point of her to not move. Her hands reflexively shot up to his hand to loosen his hold, but they simply rested on his forearm when she realized he wasn't going to choke her. Ryder and Tess were about to intervene, but Sasuke's forceful _'don't move!' _kept them frozen in place. Ryder's skin crawled with the need to attack, intervene, _move_, anything to get closer to the girl he loved and to rip that bastard's arm away from her throat. But he stood in place, knowing that any movement would mean Hannah being harmed.

Sasuke's dark eyes glared hatefully into the face of the young girl he held by the throat. "Why are you here?" he spat at her.

"For you," she answered softly.

"Bullshit, why are you here?"

Hannah frowned. "We came to bring you back. I told you that everyone was gonna miss – "

"Stop," Sasuke growled, a warning in his voice. "Why are _you _here?" he asked again.

She glared back at the taller boy. "I _told_ you." She shoved his arm away, which he allowed, releasing her from his grip. "I came to _bring you back._ I don't know if I can be any clearer than that, Sasuke," she growled back irritably. "Now come on, we don't got all day." She reached forward, aiming to grab his wrist and drag him back home. Sasuke grabbed her forearm tightly and yanked it backward, pulling her into him. She stumbled into his chest, and when she looked up into his face, he brought his other hand up behind her head, his long fingers entangling themselves in her soft hair, and brought his lips crashing down onto hers.

Ryder and Sakura stiffened at the sight, and Tess simply pursed her lips, knowing that right now was not the time to be saying 'I told you so'. Hannah froze, her body going rigid. She began to have a mental war in her mind, debating whether to slap him, push him away, or kiss him back, but she knew that the former two options would anger him, and the latter was something she couldn't bring herself to do, so she opted to just stand there and allow him to get it out of his system.

Of course he knew that she wouldn't kiss him back, and yet the fact that she did absolutely nothing about the kiss hurt him more than it would if she had struck him. He pulled away after a long moment, gazing deep into her honey brown eyes, finding no passion nor sympathy in them. A deep sadness filled his midnight blue eyes, and after a shaky breath, he whispered, "You didn't come for me."

She furrowed her brow. "Of course I – "

"Then why didn't you come with me?"

Hannah fell silent, caught off guard by the question. Sasuke released her arm, but he tightened his grip on her hair, pulling it to the point of discomfort. She winced slightly, but remained silent.

Sasuke rose his voice, wanting the boy a few feet away to hear, because he deserved to know. "Why didn't you come with me that night?" he asked again.

Hannah frowned, unsure of where this was going. "I couldn't," she answered, unsure.

Sasuke shook his head. "And why not?"

"Because," Hannah said slowly, "I had to stay, for Te - " She inhaled sharply at the painful tug at the back of her head. "For Ryder," she gasped, her eyes wide.

Ryder frowned, confused by the sudden turn in the situation. Sakura listened intently as well, curious as to what this was about, while Tess, already having heard the story, glanced nervously at Ryder; she knew where this was going.

"And why would you have to stay for him when the two of you had broken up?" Sasuke asked, his eyes boring into hers.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she realized what this was about. "No," she whispered pleadingly.

"Answer my question."

Hannah's eyes flickered to the brunette only a few feet away, knowing he was watching, listening in on their conversation. Her body began to tremble, and she wished that this wasn't happening. "Because..." she muttered softly, her voice shaky.

His grip on her hair tightened, causing the girl to wince. "Because why?"

"Because..." she trailed off, her eyes stinging as tears threatened to spill free. She shut her eyes tightly, trying to hold them back, and mumbled her response incoherently.

"What?" Sasuke asked. She repeated her answer under her breath, still too quiet for anyone to hear. Sasuke was beginning to grow impatient. "You're going to have to speak louder, Hannah. Why did you stay?"

"Because I love him!" she shouted, glaring at him through her free falling tears. She hiccuped and was sent into a sobbing mess, crying miserably. "Because I love him..." she sobbed quietly, tears staining her cheeks.

Sasuke's face softened, and he slowly untangled his hand from her hair. He heaved a large sigh, watching sadly as she continued to cry. "That's what I thought," he said softly. He glanced over at Ryder, whose face had a shocked expression painted across it. They locked eyes for a moment before Sasuke turned away. "Don't come back for me," he muttered to Hannah. He was gone a second later.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, and she took off with Tess after him.

Ryder slowly made his way over to the crying girl. She tried desperately to wipe away her tears, but more quickly took their place. "Hannah," he said softly, reaching for her.

She held up her hands as if to push him away. "Don't," she begged, her eyes bright red. But this was the only form of resistance she showed, and she allowed him to pull her into his arms, let him coo sweet nothings in her ear, tolerated his soothing hands, and certainly didn't protest when he lifted her chin, tilted her head back, and planted the softest of kisses on her mouth.

"I love you," he breathed against her lips. She closed her eyes, whispered the words back, and indulged in another one of his familiar kisses.

"You know," Ryder muttered softly, wiping away a few stray tears from Hannah's face, "Sasuke isn't all that bad."

Hannah laughed and pulled his face down to hers, connecting their lips once more, and silently thanked the boy on the run.


End file.
